Bobby Flay's Throwdown! (34 page)

New Mexico was calling with its irresistible specialty, green chile cheeseburgers. They are juicy, smoky, spicy, and delicious, and no one does them better than Bob Olguin. I was all over the theme ingredient because chiles, well, that’s my game.

Three essential elements-a juicy hamburger, plenty of cheese, and New Mexican green chiles-come together in one explosively tasty burger.

The chiles of choice are Hatch chiles (sometimes known as “Big Jims”), grown in the Chile Capital of the World, Hatch, New Mexico. But their limited growing season leaves room to experiment with some of the state’s other amazingly flavored green chiles—which means any pepper, hot, mild, or in between, that has been harvested young while still green and meaty. Once a locals-only secret, these zesty burgers are slowly making their way onto southwestern-inspired menus across the country; we even serve a version called the Santa Fe Burger at Bobby’s Burger Palace.

New Mexico is called the Land of Enchantment, and Bob Olguin, owner of the Buckhorn Tavern in San Antonio, thinks the green chile cheeseburger is one of the reasons why. His version has brought the Buckhorn quite a bit of local and national attention;
GQ
even named it the seventh best burger in the country in 2005—and that ranking wasn’t for the best green chile burger, but for
all
burgers in this burger-loving land. Bob’s third-generation family restaurant was first opened by his grandfather back in 1918. Bob’s father, Manny, moved the restaurant to its present location in 1943, operating it under the name Manny’s Buckhorn Tavern until his passing in 1998, when Bob took his place in line. The Olguin legacy comes complete with the Buckhorn’s famous green chile cheeseburger, which has been on the Buckhorn Tavern’s menu since its inception—meaning I’m going up against more than ninety years of mastery.

Hungry for the test kitchen, I started off with a burger made from 80/20 ground chuck (that’s 80 percent lean, 20 percent fat) because I think it makes the tastiest, juiciest burgers. I dressed thin strips (or
rajas)
of poblano, Hatch, and serrano chiles in olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and fresh cilantro. I went with Mexican Chihuahua cheese, which is similar to Monterey Jack, and topped the burger with pickled red onions and blue corn chips for crunch. We were New Mexico-bound!

Bob was busy holding court for the “Burger Nation” film crew at a local chile festival when I made my surprise entrance. I cooked my burgers on a grill; Bob prefers to use a griddle on top of his grill so he can control the heat a little better. Bob uses 70/30 ground meat—talk about juicy—and American cheese on top. He cooks his chiles twice, first roasting them whole, then chopping and cooking them again on the griddle with a little granulated garlic, which he says brings out extra heat in the chile.

Chile researcher and expert Stephanie Walker and Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen owner Al Lucero judged our cheeseburgers on their green chile flavor, authenticity, and overall taste. Right off the bat they commented on my blue corn chips and the sesame-seed buns I used. Stephanie and Al were both pleased with my chile topping, saying it was just
picante
enough to make it good yet not overwhelm the flavor of the burger. Turning to Bob’s burger, they said his traditional vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and pickles) were more typical of a green chile burger, and they also felt his burger had more green chile heat. Bob’s was chosen as the more authentic green chile cheeseburger and thus the winner of this Throwdown.

I loved my burger, and it would have been nice to win, but I’d never be sore over losing to a guy as nice as Bob. I got a trip to New Mexico, the chance to use green chiles, and the opportunity to taste the Buckhorn Tavern’s rightly famous green chile cheeseburger. I may have lost the battle, but I know I came out on top.

SERVES 4

1.
To make the green chile relish,
combine the chiles, vinegar, honey, olive oil, and cilantro in a bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.

2.
To cook the burgers,
heat your griddle or a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the oil and heat until it begins to shimmer.

3.
Shape the ground beef with your hands into 4 round patties, each about 1½ inches thick, and season each burger on both sides with salt and pepper. Cook the burgers until golden brown on both sides and cooked to medium, about 8 minutes.

4.
Place the burgers on the buns and top each with a few tablespoons of the Queso Sauce, Green Chile Relish, Pickled Red Onion, and chips.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk, raise the heat to high, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the Chihuahua cheese until melted. If the mixture is too thick, thin with additional milk. Add the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

1.
Combine the vinegar, ¼ cup water, the sugar, and the salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

2.
Put the onions in a medium heatproof bowl, pour the vinegar over them, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 and up to 48 hours.

SERVES 4

1.
Heat a griddle to medium-high.

2.
Shape the beef into 4 large patties, each about 6 inches across and ½ inch thick. Season with salt and pepper. Grill the burgers for 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare, or to your desired doneness.

3.
When the patties are almost fully cooked, put the onions on the griddle in 4 mounds, and top each with 2 slices of cheese. It is very important that the cheese melts over the onions.

4.
Put the green chiles on the griddle and mix in the granulated garlic. When the chiles are hot, use your spatula to put them on top of the onions and cheese, to help the cheese finish melting.

5.
Put the pickles, lettuce, and tomato slices on the bottom halves of the buns. Top each with a burger, and then use your spatula to add a mound of onion, cheese, and chiles to each burger. Spread mustard over the top bun, and place it on top of the wonderful green chile patty.